Overprotective
by Reflection of a Broken Dream
Summary: Kagome, as a child, happens upon a battlefield by accident and it changes her life forever...it also changes the life of one ruffled crimson-eyed hybrid who now owns a white scarf. Even though he erases her memories of the event, they meet again. Great! Now he feels an odd attachment to the girl... Checking in on her every so often, he makes sure she isn't getting herself into any
1. Chapter 1

**Overprotective**

**Author: Reflection of a Broken Dream**

**Pairing: Kagome (Inuyasha) x Hiei (Yu Yu Hakusho)**

**Quick Note**:

\- I hope you all enjoy this! It's a Hiei x Kagome that starts in the basic P.O.V. (Point of View) of Hiei. This will change, but it was needed for this first chapter.

\- I made up Satoshi Park. Let's pretend it's a park near where Kagome lives...

\- Please Review!

**Disclaimer**:

I Do Not Own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho!

**Overprotective**

**Chapter 1 - Forgotten Memories**

**The wooded area behind the Higurashi Shrine, Thirteen Years Ago...**

"You little bassstard," the lizard demon spat at Hiei, the man standing just across the clearing from said demon. "I thought we had a deal." The two demons had _just _gotten through mapping out the layout of Reikai, Hiei almost ready to start his infiltration of the castle for the three sacred objects within. A few more years and he would be set...

"We did," Hiei admitted, fearlessly staring down the irate man before him. (The only thing remotely lizard-like about him in his humanoid form was his wide ruby eyes and his short green hair.) "And now it's over. I'm cutting my liability- _you_." The lizard, Shiki, had been excellent for his purpose- mapping, something Hiei wasn't particularly good at- but he'd almost gotten them caught three seperate times. He was a liability, therefore no good to Hiei's impending mission.

"You can't do thisss," Shiki hissed, his red eyes narrowing down.

"I can and I have," Hiei replied boredly. "Walk away and keep your life or die by my hand. Your choice." Of course, he wasn't _really _about to let Shiki leave with his life...if he turned his back on Hiei, he would be dead before he knew what happened...

"Thisssss issss unacceptable!" Shiki roared, outraged. Hiei put his hand on the hilt of his blade. What Shiki did next startled him. The lizard got down on all fours and transformed into his reptilian form, green scales appearing as his pale skin faded away and a tail ripped through the back of his pants. He, literally, looked like a giant lizard. Shiki began stomping the ground and hissing in his native tongue. The ground shook a moment before more lizard demons began to surface. _'An ambush_,' Hiei cursed silently within his mind as he drew his sword. _'I didn't think he'd have the balls to betray me like this_...' He silently cursed again when he remembered _why _lizard demons were so bothersome. _'Their hides are too thick for my blade to slice...their soft bellies are the only place they can be cut_.' Mind set, Hiei blazed into battle, blocking claws with his sword and aiming for their well-protected bellies. It was difficult, to say the least...

About ten minutes into the battle, two lizards down of eleven, he noticed the faint scent of a human drawing nearer to the battlefield. _'Just what I need_,' Hiei growled, the koorime slicing open another lizard's stomach and jumping back before the innards spilled on him. He didn't mind being covered in a little gore, but he couldn't afford to be slippery with it at the moment. It would throw him off. _'I'll save it for the last- Shiki_.' Hiei couldn't help the sadistic grin from spreading across his face as he dodged lizard legs and slid under another to the opposite side, his blade cleanly slicing open the tender flesh of the lizard's chest and stomach. _'That was almost __**too **__easy_...' Hiei narrowed his eyes as he slipped under another lizard, easily ripping the tender flesh and rolling away before the guts could spill out on him. His lips turned down into a frown as he realized that most seemed to be thrown by the scent of the human- it was coming nearer- and they were between going to kill the human and dealing with him. That should have been an easy decision. Humans are easy to take care of..._he _is not. Aim for the toughest, take them out first, _then _deal with the weaker. _'I'm not about to complain, though. The human is giving me time and a distraction. I may, __**may**__, let the human live...' _He was serious in his contemplation as he easily took out another lizard. _'Five remaining_.'

"_Human_!" one of the lizards hissed angrily, the three focused on the spot the human was nearing and two focused on keeping Hiei back from the three looking to go after the human.

"Female," another hissed out softly, his eyes trained on the spot she would come from.

"A meddlesome child!" the last ground out, surprising Hiei a little. "This won't take but a moment..." _'A girl-child_?' Hiei asked himself silently, feeling an odd mix of emotions as her scent wafted into the clearing. He was barely able to discern it over the rancid stench of lizard blood and guts. It shouldn't have bothered him. It wasn't as though he hadn't killed children before...but it never sat quite right with him. Especially girl-childs. They tended to remind him of his half-sister...

"Here she comes...," the second lizard spoke softly, his muscles tensing as they awaited her arrival into the clearing. It was in that moment that Hiei lost control of himself...just for a minute. It was enough to quit grappling with the lizard before him and force him back. Hiei then propelled himself beneath the lizard, slicing him wide open. He continued to slide to the far side before he jumped, preforming a somersault midair, and landed protectively in front of the approaching girl-child. He idly noted that she had waist-length raven hair and wide azure eyes...she was probably about four or five.

"Your fight is with _me_," Hiei snarled out, fangs bared. The three before him paused in shock for a brief moment before they narrowed their eyes and began to attack again. He caught their claws on his blade. "Run, girl." Hiei managed to glance back at the child behind him, the girl looking up at him with watering blue doe eyes. He could smell her scent more clearly now, it permeated the air around him like a soft, lingering perfume. Her scent was that of rain-kissed blades of grass after a storm, spiderlilies, some sort of hot and sweet spice, a hint of bellflower, and an odd purity reminscent of the air in ages long past. He wasn't sure how to describe it- it was like untainted sweet air that was a treat to intake in this day and age in Ningenkai. Her scent was almost comforting, endearing, in its own odd way, and he hated to admit that he liked it...just a little.

A small nod cleared his head. '_I asked her to run and she's going to run now_,' he reminded himself as he turned back to the demons before him. He felt oddly satisfied- she was getting away from impending danger- and a little dissatisfied- her scent was leaving...- to hear her little feet pad away probably as quickly as she could go (not very fast at _all _by his standards). He felt her retreat with his probing youki. Hiei was mildly surprised to feel a little of her pure reiki push back against his youki. It was a gentle push, not at all threatening, but...she had spirit energy. A good deal of it for a child. She would be pulled into the world of demons again one day. For some reason, that made Hiei's stomach churn uncomfortably. _'Why do I care?' _he growled mentally re-focusing on the battle and keeping extremely sharp claws at bay. _'When she gets older she'll probably become one of Koenma's pawns. One of my enemies. It isn't safe to associate with her_.' And yet he felt an odd sense of loss at the thought, at leaving her after the battle and never turning back. His lips downturned into a deeper frown than they already were. He'd never felt attachment to any but his younger half-sister before...and he couldn't honestly say this was an 'attachment', per se, but it was something akin to it. He didn't like it. Not at _all_.

"Oomph," Hiei grunted as he hit the ground. His lack of focus had lead to him being overpowered by the reptile in front of him. _'No...I don't like this at __**all**_...,' he repeated silently.

"Die!" the lizard that knocked him down screeched as he reared back and raised his razor-sharp claws high in the air, preparing to deal him a hard- potentially fatal- blow.

"Get the girl," Shiki barked at the two others as they started to waddle-run in the direction the girl went. They weren't entirely fast in their pursuit, but not entirely slow, either. It wouldn't take much for them to catch up to her. Hiei felt a snarl rip from his throat as his inner youkai rose. He couldn't have that. He _wouldn't _have it.

"You won't lay a hand on her," Hiei growled softly as the lizard's claw over him quickly descended and slammed against the ground. He used his incredible speed to move out of the way in time, slicing the underbelly of the beast before he slid out from under it, the lizard dead before he realized it. Hiei didn't linger, letting the giant reptile stumble and die on his own as he raced off in the direction of the other lizards. "Rrrgggghhh..." His chest rumbled with the growl as he spun, sliding under the slowest lizard, slicing him in two from beneath as he continued on. The giant beast behind him stumbled and crashed to a stop.

"Eeaaahhhhh!" the little girl's scream pierced the air, ringing in Hiei's ears. Another feral snarl ripped from his throat as he quickly caught up, the lizard in front of her poised to attack. She cowered against the trunk of a tree, her azure eyes overflowing with tears as they slid shut, the girl awaiting her impending death.

"No," Hiei hissed, pushing his legs to their physical limits as the reptilian front leg came down, claws extended. Hiei's heart was pounding in his ears as he _barely _managed to rescue the girl in time, his arms picking her up and securing her to his body as he turned slightly, the claw catching on his arm as he sped by. "Nnggh..."

"Yeek!" the girl let out a little screech as he leaned too far to the side, tumbling to the ground with her. The girl was safe inside his grasp, but she radiated fear. She'd almost got killed, he couldn't fault her for her fear. Hiei easily rolled to a stop on his back, his arm stinging, blood flowing freely from the wound. The little girl was on top of his chest, shaking lightly as she slowly opened her eyes and peered down at him. He slowly rolled to the side and gently placed the girl on the ground, the man very much aware of the angry hissing and stomping of the angry lizard demons nearby. He ignored the pain in his arm as he sat up, the girl staring at his left arm with wide, swirling blue orbs.

"You're hurt," she whimpered out, surprising him. He chose to ignore her obvious statement. She was probably in shock, amongst other things.

"Stay here," Hiei commanded instead as he got to his feet, the man picking up his blade he'd momentarily dropped as the lizards approached menacingly. "And close your eyes." His crimson eyes flickered to the girl as he took a protective stance in front of her again. She closed her eyes and covered them with her small hands, the girl still shaking from her brush with death. Hiei turned his eyes back to the lizards, satisfied that she was being so obedient.

"Wait until I tell everyone that Hiei has a weakness," Shiki sneered from the side, letting the other one draw closer to him. He'd stayed back through most of the fighting, showing how much of a coward he really was. "Human children. Who would have thought?" The other one snickered as Hiei's eyes narrowed.

"He _is _a forbidden child, though, Shiki," the other lizard grinned toothily. "He has different tastes than us. Humans must do it for him." They shared another laugh and Hiei felt himself snap. With a soft growl and a burst of speed, he'd run to the side and slid beneath the demon, slicing him horizontally as he slid to face Shiki. It took him a moment to realize what had happened as the lizard gasped and stumbled, writhing in pain and crying out as he died. His angry ruby eyes fixated on Hiei and the man couldn't help but smirk up at the large beast.

"Humans mean nothing to me," Hiei spoke, making the large reptile's brow crease. "It just so happens that I feel more merciful to her today than to you." Shiki's eyes widened as Hiei dissappeared in a burst of speed and slid beneath his slightly-parted front legs. It was an easy vertical slice that Hiei extended to the end of his tail just to deal a little extra pain out of spite. Shiki gasped and screeched his death cry as Hiei walked away from the dying lizard. He made his way to the small girl-child, really looking at her for the first time. She was wrapped up in a blue coat and white scarf with black leggings and simple white and blue shoes. She looked so small tucked into the scarf and coat... He didn't let the thoughts linger. He knelt before her when he got to her and gently picked her up bridal style. She let out a little gasp of fear before she realized that it was _him _picking her up. Her fear quickly dissipated. "Keep your eyes shut." She slowly nodded and did as he asked, the man taking her away from the battle grounds. "Do you live at the shrine?"

"Yes," She whispered out with a small nod. He walked towards the shrine. It was quiet for a long moment, but he could hear the whispering of questions swirling around her mind. (His Jagan eye had decided to peer into her mind without his consent- it wasn't a horrible wrong, but the lack of control he had over the Jagan, at times, was disconcerning. It was an issue he would deal with later...) She didn't quite understand the situation, that she'd been close to death. She didn't understand him...but she seemed to innately trust him for _whatever _reasons. Finally, her pink lips parted again. "My name's Higurashi Kagome." He blinked down at the child in surprise. He honestly hadn't expected her to talk to him again. "What's yours?"

"Hiei," he responded shortly, blinking when she smiled brightly at him.

"Hiei," she repeated slowly, letting his name roll over her tongue. There was another brief moment of silence. "I like it." Hiei raised a brow. She was an odd child. '_An odd child with an odd name_,' he mentally noted. _'And odd eyes... I don't recall any other human children in this part having blue eyes_.' "Are you taking me home, Hiei?"

"I am," he replied before he realized what he was saying.

"Will you stay?" She asked in a very hopeful, childish way.

"No," he deadpanned, not wanting to give her hope that he would staying...because he wouldn't be. In fact, he would probably never come back to this area again...

"It's because you're different, isn't it?" She asked, surprising him again. "I can feel things sometimes...mommy says it's a gift. I can tell you're not like me and mommy and daddy. Kind of like those big...things...but different. You don't feel evil. You saved me, Hiei, you're a good guy." Hiei almost snorted indignantly at being called a 'good guy'. He most certainly _was not_. ...But he supposed he would let it slide for now. He had saved her, after all, so she probably percieved him as a good guy and always would if he ever happened to be around again. '_I'll have to rectify that_,' he frowned inwardly. '_I'll take her memories of the event and of myself. She won't remember me_.' Finding both satisfaction and slight dissatisfaction at his thought, he continued to carry her to the edge of the clearing that her home was located, ignoring some odd ramblings about her cat.

"You can open your eyes now," Hiei spoke as he put her down on her own feet. She did just that, her eyes sparkling up at him as they were revealed again. They lost some of the sparkle as they landed on his hurt arm, though. It had stopped bleeding, so it was of no consequence to him.

"Your arm...," she pointed out, her brow furrowing before she seemed to have an idea. Curious, Hiei watched as she unwravelled her white scarf and then tugged on his sleeve. "Bend down. I can wrap it like mommy wraps _my _boo boos." Frowning lightly at her word usage, Hiei allowed himself to kneel down to her level, watching her with confused eyes as she wrapped it as well as she could. "There." She smiled at her handiwork. It wasn't very good...

"Why did you wrap my arm?" Hiei blurted out before he could stop himself.

"Because you're hurt," she blinked back at him. "You needed to cover it."

"I'm fine," Hiei sniffed. "I heal faster than you do."

"Then keep it," Kagome shrugged, surprising him again.

"Why?" Hiei asked again, his eyes narrowed slightly at the girl.

"Just to keep it," she frowned at him. "It's a gift. For getting me away from the bad guys."

"Hn," Hiei frowned, but didn't move to take it off. She obviously took it as a sign that he'd keep it as she smiled brightly at him again. "I have to leave now."

"Okay...will you come back and see me again, Hiei?" She asked with hopeful, imploring eyes.

"No," he replied. He sighed, hating how her scent instantly tainted with sadness. "Maybe." Some of the sadness left her as she smiled a little at him again. No harm in lying to her...even if he _did _feel guilty for it...

"I can't wait to see you again," She began talking innanely again. "You'll have to meet mommy and daddy and buyo-" Hiei pulled the headband from his Jagan, the third eye opening. She looked at it in wonder with a soft breath of surprise.

"Sleep," he commanded. Her eyes wearied and slowly shut. He caught the small girl in his arms and carefully laid her down on the back stoop, taking all of her memories of the event. "Goodbye...Kagome." With that and a knock to the back door, he leapt into the nearby trees, making his way back to the remains of the lizards to burn them. His fingers lingered on the white scarf. It was his very first gift, his very first kindness...from a human, of _all _people...

**Near Satoshi Park, Ten Years Ago...**

"Hnn...," Hiei hummed to himself as he leapt from tree to tree, the man headed towards a nearby park. The rise in youki had caught his attention, so he was going to investigate...not that it mattered. He just wanted to kill something...his plan to raid Reikai wasn't coming together like he'd thought it would. His main ally for the mission- a ten year-old part-human Youko Kurama- had just told him that he wouldn't participate. Unwilling to get on the fox's bad side after a short arguement, Hiei had left. Now he had to come up with something else. This was _more _than vexing... "Mmmhh..." Hiei stopped short on a high-up branch in the park, his crimson eyes roaming the land for the demons that were coming. His right hand idly clenched around the hilt of his blade while his left hand habitually touched part of the white scarf wrapped around his neck. He wasn't entirely sure why he had kept it, but he knew that he hadn't wanted to just throw it away...

"Yaaaaaahhh!" a young girl's scream rang in the air, surprising Hiei. He hadn't smelled the human, hadn't sensed her presence at all until now. Her presence filled the forest as she ran towards the area he was lying in wait, her raven hair flying behind her like a cape. _'Her power is repressed...purposefully_,' he idly noted as she drew nearer. _'For such a young girl-child, she is coming into her own with her power...wait...'_

"That scent...," Hiei gasped, his eyes widening as his lips twisted down into a frown. The girl practically ran into his tree, huffing and puffing, trying to catch her breath. "Foolish girl..." He growled softly as the stench of bloodthirsty demons approached with haste. Hiei dropped from the tree without thought, taking an offensive stance in front of the same girl he'd saved a mere three years ago. "Shut your eyes, girl."

"Oh?" the soft gasp passed her lips. "Who are you? Do you want to kill me, too?"

"No," Hiei admitted softly, surprising her. He could tell it by the changing of her scent. "My name is Hiei. That is all you need to know...now close your eyes." He peered back at her in time to see her nod, the girl doing as she was told with the same sense of innate trust in him as the first time. He returned his attention to the oncoming demons as they stepped around trees. _'Two cat demons and a bat demon_,' he noted silently. The group was a bit odd, but it didn't matter. He would kill them, nonetheless.

"She's ours," the only female of the group hissed, bearing her fangs at him as her cat-like tail swayed anxiously behind her.

"We found her first, so she's _our _meal," the male cat demon reinforced his counterpart's hiss.

"Stand down, Forbidden One, or we will have to kill you," the bat spoke, his voice soft but commanding authority. He was, obviously, the leader of this little group.

"And if I refuse?" Hiei asked, his hand tightening on his blade, his left hand on the sheith.

"Then you will die," the bat replied, opening his leathery black wings wide. It was a silent signal to attack, the cats launching forwards before his wings were fully spread. Hiei drew his sword quickly enough that his blade clashed against the claws of the humanoid cat demons, the two hissing at him aggressively as their jaws snapped at his face. He barely managed to lean back in time, Hiei having to use his full strength to push the cats back. With a grunt, he lashed out at the cats with his free hand, his hand coming into contact with the female's face. She flew backwards and that was enough to distract the male. Hiei pulled back slightly and then launched the sword up, into the cat's ribcage. The tom jumped away before he could do any _real _damage, though. The male cradled a hand to his ribs as the wound sealed enough to stop bleeding. The female rose to his side, rubbing her face where Hiei had struck her. The bat didn't seem to be moving...yet. Hiei was somewhat thankful for the moment, knowing that he cats would be hell to deal with on their own- they were smart and fast predators. He would have to be careful not to let them gain ground on the girl...

"Hn," Hiei shifted minutely before he launched himself at the cats at top speed. His speed had caught them offguard, the two moving awkwardly in order to get out of his immediate strike zone. Still, he swung his blade with precision, recalculating the distance as he leaned a little farther to the left than he had originally intended, the two having split before him. Hiei was satisfied to feel the blade tear through flesh as the female cat hissed in pain and moved quickly away from him and his sword. The male made a move on him, Hiei's back turned to him for a brief moment. Burning, searing pain ignited in Hiei's back, causing him to groan in pain through his grit teeth. He swung back, but by the time his sword reached the place the male had been, he was gone. Laughter rang in his ears as he turned back to the duo, his crimson eyes narrowing at them.

"Not so fun _now_, _is _it, half-breed?" the male chuckled, licking his claws clean of Hiei's blood. Hiei opened his lips to speak, but was instantly halted by the pink sprig that was flung at the female cat. That small snippet of a branch was _loaded _with purifying reiki...and it only _briefly _touched her head before bouncing harmlessly off and to the side. Crimson eyes widened as the female shrieked loudly, agony gripping her voice and her golden eyes as her body, quite suddenly, burst into a shimmering pile of dust. Her youki faded away as though she had never been there to begin with, the slight mid-summer wind carrying her remains away.

"AKEMI!" the male cat cried in anguish, sinking to his knees as Hiei's eyes roamed back to the direction the branch came from- the very human girl-child that stood against her tree. She gave him a hesitant, sheepish, smile as his brow rose. _'What power_...,' he noted silently. He had never come across a human that had housed as much power as her...nor had he come across one with the same...skill. He had heard of mikos and monks of old that could purify demons with just a touch- it was a gift from the kami to the humans for defense against demons while the words were still joined- but he'd never seen one in person before. In fact, it was thought that the mikos and monks had lost their abilities over time because they no longer needed them with the worlds seperated like they were. Apparently there were still a few around...

"Calm yourself, Akio," the bat demon called, all eyes turning back to the wise bat. "Revenge is nigh. The small girl is the one that killed your sister...be wary of her power. Do not let her touch you." With a sharp nod, the cat stood, tears trailing down his face as he drew his knife. Akio turned his sights fully on the girl, ignoring Hiei altogether. **_'Big _**_mistake_...,' Hiei growled in the safe confines of his mind. The girl-child- what was her name again?- backed into her tree, a look of pure fear on her face as her hands desperately groped for something to use against the predatorially approaching cat. _'No need, child_.' Hiei easily got behind the cat and slid his blade into his back from behind. He had gotten a mere five feet from the girl- Hiei wouldn't have allowed him to get any closer than that. Azure eyes widened as crimson orbs met them over the cat's shoulder, the man twisting his blade into his heart. The male cat sputtered before he became still and heavy. Hiei easily dropped him off the end of his blade and wiped the blood on the male's shirt to clean it. All the while, his eyes didn't leave hers. He could tell that she was a little scared and revolted by the way he had killed the cat, but he'd had no choice.  
It could have been a _lot _worse.

Hiei could have beheaded him, letting the blood spray everywhere...but he was fairly sure that something like that would have overloaded her puny human brain and caused her to lose consciousness. She was pale and looked to be on the verge as it was. Turning his probing eyes back to the bat, Hiei noticed that he remained still, not grabbing for a weapon or even _trying _to attack.

"Aren't you going to avenge your allies?" Hiei asked bluntly, staring the bat down.

"No...I'm not much of a fighter," he admitted, surprising him. He extended his wings a bit and Hiei could see that one of his wings was not useable. There were several places that had been broken and had not healed right. Once a bat's wings were messed up, that was it. Like most animals with wings, they gave up on life, feeling that their freedom was taken away from them. "I teach battle basics to runts like _they _that pay me for my services...but I no longer fight, myself. Perhaps we will run into one another again some day, perhaps not." Despite the bat's dissmissive words and seemingly uncaring demeanor, Hiei felt a spark of resentment aimed at him. Without a doubt, Hiei knew that he would face the bat again one day. With an incline of the bat's head and a motion of his hands, a portal appeared below him and he silently sank into it without another word. Feeling the last vestiges of the tunnel to Makai ripple out, Hiei allowed himself to shake off the odd conversation and sheith his sword.

"Oh...," he heard the girl sigh before she hit the ground. Looking back, he saw that she had collapsed to her knees. "That was close..." A hand lifted to her still-racing heart. Hiei could clearly hear her heart rapidly thumping away in her chest.

"Do you _always _draw this much danger to yourself?" Hiei asked, watching her jump as her azure eyes focused back on him.

"Sometimes..., " she admitted softly. She paused for a brief moment. "Thanks for saving me. I wouldn't have made it out without your help..." Another small pause as he inclined his head to her. "My name's Higurashi Kagome. What's yours?" Hiei felt a hint of deja vu as she said the last and he knew that she felt it, too. He recalled that she had said the same exact thing three years ago. She- Kagome- however, looked a bit confused. She didn't know why she felt the way she did- he'd erased her memories of it, so he wasn't surprised.

"Hiei," he answered as shortly as he had the first time he'd told her his name. She seemed to shake off the odd feeling of deja vu.

"Hiei...," Kagome spoke softly, testing his name on her lips. Like the first time, she smiled brightly at him. "I like it." Again, a replica of the time they had met. He didn't allow it to continue, odd emotions of his own surfacing.

"Are your parents nearby?" Hiei asked, expecting an answer.

"At the front part of the park," Kagome nodded. "Waiting for me and talking to other grown-ups." He nodded acceptingly.

"Your power...does it attract demons?" he prodded. He _had _to know- he hadn't saved her twice just for her to get herself killed at another point in time...

"Yes...," she spoke softly, her azure eyes downturning in sadness. "But mommy and daddy don't know. I make sure they don't."

"How so?" he asked, only a hint of his curiosity showing in his voice.

"...I have to turn them to dust," Kagome answered softly, simply. "Just like I did to that girl, so they don't hurt us." Hiei's eyes narrowed a smidgeon at the girl before him. She was still a child...yet she had taken on such a large responsibility. "Mommy and daddy don't believe in demons. They don't know...but _I _do." And she was alone in her responsibility...

"Do you wish you didn't have to deal with such things?" Hiei asked, a solution in mind. He'd been planning on doing this since he learned it was _her _that he'd saved..._again_. "Do you wish that you could forget and that demons would stop bothering you?"

"Sometimes," Kagome sniffled. He could smell the tears that she tried to hold back as she looked up at him with glassy blue eyes. "But I don't want to forget about someone like _you_, Hiei. You're proof that not all demons are bad..." Her eyes seemed to plead with him, as though she knew what he was about to do...but that was impossible. She couldn't _possibly _know what he was up to... "But it would be nice...not to have to have to turn demons to dust all the time..." She admitted the last softly, hesitantly, her eyes falling to his chest.

"I can make it so," Hiei spoke, striding over to her and kneeling before her as her eyes widened.

"What-?" She started and stopped, gazing at his forehead as he pulled his headband down, revealing his third eye. She gaped at it in wonder.

"Sleep," he commanded. After a short moment of blinking and trying to stay awake, Kagome drifted to sleep. Hiei caught her mid-fall forwards and he shifted so that he could pull her into his arms bridal-style. Standing with her, he did something she would never be able to forgive him for if she ever remembered...and she _wouldn't _remember it. He would see to that _personally_. "You won't remember this, Kagome. You won't remember _me_." Using the power of his Jagan eye, he erased all of Kagome's memories of demons back to her very first encounter- surprisingly it was the one three years ago with the lizards...then he erased _himself _from her memory. Last, but certainly not least, he erased all knowledge of her own power from her mind, forcing it to slumber within her once more. He could no longer sense the dangerous power that drew him in while repelling him at the same time- she felt like a normal human. With a satisfied hum, Hiei began walking towards the entrance of the park, cradling the small child in his arms as he went.

_'I've taken all the precautions I can...,' _he sighed silently to himself. _'But I still feel as though this isn't over. She may be attacked by that damn bat...' _He frowned to himself, nearing the end of the woodsy area, a clearing opening up before him. Guilt nagged at him, the koorime feeling that it was partially his fault that she'd gotten pulled into that fight- if he hadn't have decided to meet the lizard behind her shrine those few short years ago, her power wouldn't have surfaced. If her power hadn't have awoken, those three wouldn't have targetted her as a snack... _'No matter. I'll just check in every few years to make sure she's alright. I don't want my efforts to have gone to waste... There's no harm in it_.' Going as far as he dare go, Hiei bent down and situated Kagome so that she was sitting against a tree. He leaned close to the girl, giving her a final message that was reinforced by a stern little flare of his youki. "Keep yourself out of trouble, little one. ...I _mean _it." A smile spread over her face in her sleep and he couldn't, for the life of him, figure out _why_. Shaking his head and putting it off as a pleasant dream- how could it be pleasant one with his youki flaring warningly against her prone and vunerable form?- Hiei stood and took to the trees again, fleeing the area once he'd set the other cat demon's body aflame and put it out as soon as he had turned to ash.

Soaring through the treetops, Hiei tried to figure out why he cared so much for the fate of the meddlesome child...and he eventually gave up, leaving it at the thought that her pure heart reminded him sorely of his sister.

Stroking his white scarf fondly, he decided it was time for him to check in on Yukina again.

**\- End Chapter 1 -**

\- What do ya'll think so far? These are memories that Hiei holds that Kagome lost- her forgotten memories. Why are these important? You'll see in the next chapter. :P

\- I'm not sure how Hiei first got his white scarf, but for this fic let's pretend that Kagome gave it to him the first time he saved her...and he's kept it ever since. XD (Cute, no?)

\- Please Review!


	2. Chapter 2

**Overprotective**

**Author: Reflection of a Broken Dream**

**Pairing: Kagome (Inuyasha) x Hiei (Yu Yu Hakusho)**

**Quick Note**:

\- There isn't a time skip to when Kagome is older yet, sorry guys! This is a much-needed middle chapter to explain a little more of Hiei's affection for a certain miko and some events in her life that he was involved with. The next chapter will have the time skip, I promise!

\- I hope ya'll enjoy this!

\- Thank all of ya'll who reviewed! Please keep reviewing! XD

**Disclaimer**:

Me no own Inyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho!

**NOTE:**

Thank you everyone for the reviews! I'm sorry for the long wait!

P.S. I got a new laptop for Christmas! My parents are the BEST! (So's Rent-A-Center and their Black Friday Deals! lol.) So maybe- MAYBE, if RL works with me- I can dish out a couple to a few chappies of some of my stories a month now. No promises, but _maybe _now that I can work on stories more now that I can get on my compy at any given time. :3

**Overprotective**

**Chapter 2 - For Her Sake**

The first time Hiei checked in on Kagome was a month after their second meeting.

He stayed in the trees, just watching her at the shrine. She would turn back every so often, murmering about feeling eyes on her. Hiei stayed hidden, but he watched her for a full day before he left.

His next encounter with her was only a few days after, a few unfortunate demons prowling in the wooded backyard of the Higurashi Shrine. They were easily slain and the bodies dealt with, but he kept a close eye on the shrine- and Kagome- for a few days more to make sure that the humans hadn't noticed and that no other demons came to avenge the fallen low-class scum.

The days passed slowly for Hiei, the man intently watching the intuitive girl-child that kept almost finding him out. At first he found it annoying...Hiei had to constantly move hiding places to keep out of sight...but, watching her continue to glance around, paranoid, brought out his more mischievious side.  
He decided to make a game of it.

It was the first time he had really toyed with anyone like this, but he could say that he honestly enjoyed it. Hiei used his speed to his advantage, getting close to hide, her head whipping around in confusion as she mumbled about feeling like there was someone watching her. When she would look away, sometimes only for a split second, Hiei would dash to another hiding place nearby to stare at her with his amused crimson orbs. Her intuition was strong, he had to admit, and she knew most of his hiding places, even if she hadn't seen him hiding there. It was difficult to keep hidden from her, a challenge...and he liked it. It was his favorite game...and it was because of _that_, that he lingered around the shrine a _lot _longer than he'd meant to. Hiei began studying Kagome more closely than he'd originally intended to...and he learned many things about the girl-child that had captured his interest.

For one, he learned that the girl could be easily angered and frustrated despite her upbringing by the calm woman that was her mother. He liked the way her azure eyes burned with anger when she was mad...it was amusing to watch her let loose on other children her age that bothered her. She never minced words or tried to suck up to anyone...Kagome was always herself and if others didn't like it, they could go away or suffer her wrath when they started a fight.

Though...just as easily as she could be angered, Kagome could be unendingly compassionate. Sometimes overly so. Hiei didn't like it when he saw some of the students using her compassion and kindness against her, though she rare to never knew it. The girl was too innocent and trusting for her own good. Hopefully she would learn, in time, that not all could be trusted...that not all deserved her kindness and compassion. Even so, he couldn't help but be endeared by those very same qualities as she helped all without reguard of who and what they were. Some were demon kids in disguise. They were instinctively shunned by the humans, who were intimidated by their youki...but Kagome was always drawn to them. They never revealed themselves to her, probably out of fear of rejection, but he was pretty sure she wouldn't have rejected them. She was the same with him...it made him wonder if she could feel his clashing energy the last time they'd met. If she could, then she knew that he was a freak of nature, an abomination...and yet she had still tried to befriend him. Odd warm fuzzy feelings stirred in his chest and he had to distance himself from her for a few days...he didn't like the odd feeling, _whatever _it was...

Another thing he noticed about the growing young miko was that she was very _very _clumsy. In fact, her clumsiness probably matched her compassion. If she wasn't constantly tripping over cracks in the sidewalk, it was over her own feet and other people. Kagome constantly ran into things- doors, lockers, trees, walls- it was ridiculous sometimes... If she daydreamed less, she would have seen more of her obstacles and avoided so much pain. The girl was always lost in her thoughts, dreaming about what could be, what could have been, and about some illusive feeling she had that always left her before she could figure it out. Hiei, having been studying her mind with his Jagan eye, knew it was youki that she felt. It was the brief caress of it against her senses that left her feeling at a loss...and sad, often times. Hiei was left feeling just a _little _guilty after these episodes, knowing that it was _his _fault that she was sad...

That lead to yet another thing he noticed about the girl. She could easily be saddened...but, just as easily, she would bounce back to her cheerful, bubbly self. It was amazing to watch the transition. Most times she would be ridden with sorrow for only a few brief moments before she bucked back up again, determined to do whatever she had started doing and be cheerful about it. He never saw her sad for more than thirty minutes. Hiei found her to be an extraordinary child and this trait was another that drew him in...until that fall.

That...was when Kagome's father died.

Hikari, Kagome's mother, had been pregnant with the boy-child when it happened. The father had gotten into a bad car accident and died on impact- it was quick and painless. Kagome didn't understand at first when the human law enforcement explained things to them. The news, though, was enough to send her mother into labor about a half a month before her time. The officers took her on to the hospital and Kagome was left with her Ji-san, who tried to explain things to her, the man eventually telling her that her father wasn't coming back. He was in heaven with the kami. A pleasant lie for a child...but it didn't console her. Her mother was in the hospital and her father was just gone, wiped off the face of the planet. She fell into a dark place for the first time in her life. She fell into a place that no one around her could reach. Not even as her little brother was born. Not even when they had her see a...therapist, he thought they called them- she adamantly refused to talk and when she had, she gave answers they were expecting to hear instead of her true feelings. They had no choice but to let her go.

The girl became a fortress, blocking herself from the world while her fake smile attached itself to her face. Those smiles never reached her eyes...and Hiei began to miss her _real _smiles; the ones that lit up her eyes and made them glow like azure-hued sapphires in the sun. The ones that brightened her whole face and bathed her scent in joy. He missed the smiles that came from true happiness without the scent of depression weighing them down. It was about this time that Hiei realized how close he'd unintentionally become to the girl and he cursed himself for it. But...he couldn't pull himself away from her. Not while she was still suffering the way she was. He would leave...but only when she became the girl she had been a few short months ago. When nothing on the outside was getting through and her family was starting to give up on her and give her space...Hiei decided to act.

It pained him to watch Kagome sleep at night. Since her dad had died, her once-cheery dreams had become dark and tormented, making her writhe in unrest each and every night. It was during her dreams that he had decided to act, so that he wouldn't be going back on his self-imposed rule to not be seen by Kagome. After a half of a day of tedius planning, Hiei waited impatiently for the daylight hours to pass into the cool wintery hours of night so that he could act. Time passed painfully slowly, but he had his mission set in stone by the time she had been tucked into bed and was starting to drift away on the tides of restless slumber. He had to wait for the transition between wakeful sleep into unconscious sleep before he could act, the man jumping from his perch in the Goshinboku- his choice place of rest at night- and onto her window sill, the window always left slightly cracked because it simply wouldn't fully close. It was an issue he was silently grateful that they hadn't fixed, Hiei pushing the blanket shoved into the crack out of the way before he lifted the window and silently entered the room. He shut the window, but didn't bother with the blanket. Hiei kept himself reasonably warm with his youki and he used it to heat the entire room without much effort. He didn't want the girl-child to get physically ill on top of everything else...not that he cared for her wellbeing or anything. Settling on the floor next to her bed, Hiei closed his crimson orbs and pulled the headband away from his head. The Jagan eye opened and his mission began.

Probing Kagome's mind, Hiei found himself brought into her newest gruesome dream, the girl clinging to her father's unmoving corpse. She cried into his chest, begging him to move, to open his eyes, but he remained unresponsive. Hiei frowned at the display. She knew what death meant...even though she never got to see his body. The wake had been with a closed casket, his body too mangled for the masses to see. Hiei found himself not liking this...that she had been so tainted by the one death...that she grieved so much for her father... Kagome had grieved for too long. It was time to move on. With a little bit of effort, Hiei forced her dream to end. Everything around Kagome turned black, her father's body stolen from beneath her tightly-fisted hands, and she fell forwards onto unseen ground.

"What's happening...?" Kagome gasped softly, confused in her misery and barely raising herself up from her fallen position. Hiei brought up an image from one of her previous dreams, from before her father's death. A lush green meadow filled with flowers of all kinds colored the dark floor, giving it a new life. The blue skies matched the shade of Kagome's eyes when she was happy. The sun warmed the dreamscape, a few puffy white clouds languidly lingering in the sky. The sunlight reflected and glittered across the surface of a clear pond to the far right. A large tree stood proudly in the middle of the meadow, its large branches covered in small pink flowers. This used to be Kagome's favorite dreamscape, so Hiei had picked it to be the one to cheer her up. Unexepectedly, the girl whimpered and quickly crawled so that she was beneath the tree, curled up at its base and hidden within the shady shadows its boughs provided. The barely nine-year-old Kagome frowned and curled herself in the fetal position and the sky darkened, more clouds joining the ones already in the sky, all of them turning dark. Within minutes it was raining, turning the ground into squishy muddy terrain. Lightning streaked across the sky and thunder rumbled deeply, but she didn't so much as flinch. It was Hiei's turn to frown as Kagome destroyed the calm setting he'd created for her. He was barely able to make out her muttering as a mighty wind kicked up, making the branches of the tree sway. "I want my daddy..."

"_Enough_...," Hiei growled softly to himself as he decided on a move he hadn't planned. Of course her whole reaction had been completely unplanned and unexpected... He didn't know if he would regret it or not, but what must be done must be done. Hiei took tangible form in Kagome's dream, the man sitting Indian-style beside the oblivious girl. He was mere inches from her head. "Your father is dead. Gone. You understand this, girl, so why do you continue to torment yourself?" Kagome flinched, obviously not having expected him- or anyone, really- to be in the dreamscape with her. Slowly, agonizingly slowly, Kagome used her hands to brace herself against the ground as she sat up and looked at him with blinking blue eyes. In the months that had followed her father's passing, her eyes had deepened in color- it was a physical show of her hidden sorrow. Cloudy royal blue met with burning crimson and the winds died down some.

"Do I know you?" Kagome asked softly, a frown marring her face. Her brow scrunched up as she gazed confusedly at his face.

"Yes and no," Hiei answered truthfully, causing her head to tilt to the side in confusion. A few silent moments passed.

"Are you...my subconscious mind? ...Like the therapist lady was talking about...," Kagome asked unexpectedly. Hiei took her misunderstanding and ran with it. Why not? He was tired of erasing himself from her mind...

"Yes," he answered, only getting a blink in reply. "Now answer my question."

"Hmmm...," Kagome hummed softly as she thought about her answer for a long moment. "I don't know..." She sighed and Hiei's eyes flared with unspoken anger. She had a reason, but she wasn't sharing it. He didn't want to have to get it by force... "I guess...because I don't want to forget about daddy. He was here one day...and gone the next. I didn't even get to say goodbye..." Two hot tears streaked down her face and Hiei found that he couldn't stay mad at the child. "I miss daddy..." Hiei sighed. He was startled, however, when Kagome moved so that her head rested against his folded leg.

"_What_...do you think you are doing?" Hiei asked, the man twitching slightly and unsure as to what to do. He had a crying child's head lying on his thigh, her face turned away from him while she curled up against his leg...

"I feel safe near to you...," She admitted softly, surprising him yet again. The storm was dying down, the winds slowed and the thunder and lightning now gone from the dreamscape. Rain continued to drizzle down from the gloomy sky, though the two stayed dry beneath the tree. "It's not surprising though, I guess...I mean..._you're_ a part of _me_...and _I'm_ a part of _you_." Hiei felt heat rising to cheeks as he blinked down at the girl-child in his lap.

_'She is innocent_,' Hiei reasoned with himself. _'She has no idea what that means...' _He sat in companionable silence with her for a moment as he thought about it. '_She was referring to the fact that she thinks I'm her subconscious mind..not that we're mates...' _He was _really _glad that no one could see his bumbling... Really, though...as he thought about it...he was finding himself very much disturbed by the fact that he didn't mind becoming one with her when she grew a little older. He wouldn't mind waiting for her to mature, to be the one to look out for her while she did. He wouldn't mind taking care of those after her because of who she was and the power that she housed in her small body. She would make for a strong mate. She would be a dangerous one, though. Her power was a danger for not only others, but for him, too...and that fact made an odd thrill run through him.

He was excited.

Disturbed was a _huge _understatement. He had grown much, _much _too close to this _very human _girl-child. _'This will be rectified...this cannot __**be**__...,' _Hiei thought to himself, feeling a tinge of despair crawling around inside of him.

"Will I ever see daddy again?" Kagome's soft whisper almost didn't make it to his ears. Hiei hesitated. He had to be gentle in his reply so that he could get away from her faster. Oddly enough, he didn't have to try very hard...

"One day...," Hiei managed to reply, setting his hand slowly, hesitantly, on her head. She nestled into his thigh at his touch, her little hands gripping the fabric of his pants tighter as she expelled a warm breath of relief. His leg twiched at the unexpected warmth. He tried to ignore it along with the wetness he knew was from her salty tears. "If you want to properly say goodbye to him...you should visit his grave. Speak. He will listen from the heavens."

"Really?" Kagome asked, her voice full of wonder as she turned her head slightly. Hopeful blue orbs peeked at him blearily, tears running down her slightly flushed face. "Will he really hear me from way up there?"

"Yes," Hiei answered surely, feeling his pant leg cling to his leg in the spot where her face had been, the spot wet with her tears.

"How can you be so sure...?" Kagome asked softly, her eyes showing that she wanted to trust him...but she was still apprehensive. The therapist had ruined her innocence. She was no longer as trusting as she used to be... Even though this was something he had wanted for her, Hiei found that he didn't like it. She had to hurt, to be betrayed, in order for her to realize that she couldn't trust everyone like she used to. He didn't like that she had to hurt so much. He hated it, in fact. His heart, thawing because of her, ached for her.

...He didn't like _that_, either...

"When a person dies, their soul is sent to the heavens to be reincarnated," Hiei explained a basic lesson he knew of humans and their souls assent to Spirit World. Demon souls were different, but she didn't need to know about that. Crimson locked on to royal blue swirling orbs and he knew that she was listening intently. "It takes a long time for a soul to be reincarnated. In the time that they wait, the souls are escourted to a paradise of sorts to mingle. While they are there, they can hear the voices of their family members and friends when they speak at the graves, or at the shrines their loved ones build for them, or when said persons pray for their souls. It's a gift of sorts for being good."

"What if they aren't good?" Kagome asked with a light frown tugging at her lips. Hiei hesitated.

"Was your father a good man?" he asked evasively, thinking he was, though he wasn't sure...

"Mnn hmm," Kagome nodded, fully turning back to him. Hiei's hand moved to her cheek, though he didn't really notice.

"Then you have nothing to worry about," Hiei replied as gently as he could. She didn't need to know about the tortured souls in purgatory or the eternally damned in hell... "He will be in paradise, waiting for you to talk to him." Slowly, surely, a smile spread across her pretty face. It was the first _real _smile Hiei had seen from her in what seemed like a long time...

"Thank you," Kagome whispered with that smile, her eyes lightening with the weight of her sorrow. "I think I understand now... Daddy can't return, but I can still talk to him. He's in a good place...yet still around, in a way..." It was then that Hiei noticed that his hand was on her soft, warm cheek. Kagome's small hands covered his large one and kept it in place as she nuzzled his hand. He froze, again unsure as to what to do. He wouldn't admit that he liked the girl's affections... She suddenly stopped and looked up at him with wide azure eyes. He idly noticed that it had stopped raining and the sun was starting to peek through the clouds in the sky, the light shining through the limbs of the tree and illuminating her fair face. It seemed to glow with an ethreal quality, giving her a very inhuman beauty that made his breath hitch in his throat. "I forgot to ask...do you have a name..? Or should I name you? I mean...you're just a part of my mind..." He forced himself to breathe again.

"Why don't you name me?" Hiei replied as nonchalontly as he could, the man startled by the sudden questions and still reeling from her sudden beauty.

"Okay...," Kagome smiled cheerily up at him as she started to stroke his hand. "Hmm...how about..." It was then that she blinked and Hiei felt something ghost across her mind. Before he could catch what it was, she caught his gaze again and slowly smiled. "How about Hiei?"

"How do you know that name?" Hiei asked, straining not to growl at her or ask too harshly. He didn't want to scare her or make her suspicious...

"I don't know," Kagome answered, curiously confused. Her head tilted to the side. "I just felt like that was a good name for you. If you don't like it, I could name you something else..."

"Hiei is fine," he managed to reply somewhat gruffly with a sigh through his nose. The memories he had locked away were trying to come back. That ghost of a stirring was a stray memory coming loose from his hold. He would fix that before he left her mind for the night.

"Alright, then, Hiei," Kagome beamed up at him, glad that he liked the name she had givin him. "Are you going to be staying now? Can I see you again tomorrow night...?" Her hopeful look pained him. His job was over. He needed to leave...

"No...I just came to tell you about your father so that you would stop unnecissarily grieving for him," Hiei spoke, trying to keep his voice stern. "I don't want to see you do that anymore, is that understood?"

"Aww...," Kagome pouted, the sunlight dimming in the sky again. "I understand...but!"

"But nothing," Hiei removed his hand from her small hands, flicking her nose lightly as he pulled it away. Her eyes widened and a hand covered her nose as she looked up at him in surprise. He couldn't help a slight smirk at the look she gave him. It was priceless. "You grieve like that again, uneccissarily hurting yourself, and I'll return...but next time it'll be to punish you." Her eyes widened with something akin to horror and his brow rose slightly at that. She was truly amusing...he would miss her. He allowed himself _that, _at least. "I'll be watching you. Don't get yourself into trouble."

"I'll try not to...," she mumbled, looking away, her eyes tearing up again.

"And stop daydreaming so much, it'll get you killed," Hiei added on, making her cheeks burn a bright pink as she peeked back over at him embarrassedly.

"Not funny," she grumbled, making his smirk widen a tad.

"Dreams are the place for imaginative creation, not reality," Hiei gently warned, wrapping his arm around the surprised girl and hoisting her up as he stood from the ground, the girl making a soft 'eep' sound as he did. It was an amusing sound... "See?" Hiei lifted his hand and when he did, the landscape around them cleared. With a little effort, he brought about a lush green forest filled with wildlife and wild flowers. He gave her a moment to gasp at the 'pretty forest' before he changed the scenery again. This time a vast ocean laid before them, the ripples and tides sparkling in blue and purple hues in the evening sunlight. The sand was white and a lighthouse was perched on a nearby cliff.

"Woooow...," Kagome gushed, her eyes glittering the azure hue that they were meant to be. Hiei couldn't help but smile to himself, the man allowing one last image to surface. This was a place that _he _liked in Ningenkai. The terrain was a little rocky, the area right next to a mountain. A natural hotspring laid nearby as well as a few scattered trees, wisps of smoke swirling around the hot waters and colorful birds darting about the trees and into a somewhat far-off forest. A few feet ahead, carved into the side of the mountain, was the dark mouth of a cave. He'd taken shelter in that cave more times than he could remember in the many different times he'd visited Ningenkai. "Hotspring!" He wasn't really surprised by her sudden squeal. Kagome had an odd affinity for hot baths...not that he would complain about that. He liked her scent clean.

"Yes...it's a hotspring," Hiei confirmed with a bit of humor in his voice. "Don't go diving in now..."

"Aww...," Kagome pouted, turning puppy dog eyes up at him that he'd seen her work on her father. Hiei had silently laughed at the man, but now he could see now _why _he'd had such trouble with the gaze... "Please?"

"...Fine...," Hiei huffed, giving in with a sigh of frustration. "Damn girls and their eyes..." The last was mumbled, but Kagome had heard him and giggled gleefully as she detached herself from him. He was surprised when her night pajamas suddenly changed into a pink one-piece swimsuit he'd seen her eying at a store. She was a natural at dreamweaving...though he shouldn't have been so surprised. With as much as she daydreamed, it should have been obvious...

"Wheee!" Kagome cried as she, literally, jumped into the hotspring. He made sure it was a good deal deeper than it really was before her small body hit the water. Hiei watched her swim about and enjoy the spring a moment, his arms crossing over his chest.

_'I wish I could __**really **__take her there...,' _he silently mused to himself with a sigh. '_But I can't wish for such things that could never be... I need to distance myself now that I've fixed her. I can still watch her...but no more interaction. It's better this way...' _It was better for her sake...he had to keep her safe. That mattered to him more than _anything_...

"I'm going to leave now," Hiei spoke as he approached the hotspring. Kagome immediately stopped splashing around and swam to the edge of the spring closest to him. She looked up at him, a disheartened look in her eyes. He was happy to find that it didn't last long...she was bouncing back like she used to.

"Can I ask you something before you go?" Kagome asked, her voice soft as she nibbled on her bottom lip. It was a habit he knew well...she was anxious about something or another.

"I suppose," Hiei inclined his head, allowing it.

"Are you...are you an apparition?" Kagome surprised him. She blinked her big eyes up at him, awaiting a response as he hesitated. She mistook his hesitation for confusion. "Like a ghost, or an angel, or demon, or something like that?"

"...If I told you that I am..?" he asked in return, waiting for her to push away in fear or do something of that nature...her actual reaction surprised him, though.

"I _knew _it!" Kagome smiled up at him, her smile bright and her azure eyes glittering with happiness and acceptance. "_That's _how you know so much about heaven and reincarnation and daddy." Hiei blinked at her, the man mildly shocked by her response.

"How did you figure it out?" Hiei asked, needing to know.

"You don't feel anything like me," Kagome revealed, surpring him again. "I kept thinking about it, because it didn't feel like it was quite right after you said you were part of me...but I kept with it for a while, thinking about it until I finally figured it out. Gramps always talks about demons and apparitions of _all _kinds, so that's how I know about the different apparitions." She grinned up at him and Hiei shook his head lightly.

_'Meddlesome old man_,' Hiei inwardly scowled. _'I didn't want her to know about demons or anything like that at __**all**__... At least she doesn't seem know what I am...'_

"And because you're an apparition and you told me that you're watching me, I know that you'll always be nearby," Kagome beamed again and Hiei looked away, a light warmth lighting his cheeks as he idly rubbed the back of his neck. She was sharp...for a kid... "I'll miss you, Hiei." He stiffened at her words, his eyes widening again. "But I know you'll always be around making sure I don't get into trouble or hurt or anything. I'll always be safe while you're around..." Hiei peeked back at her, the man a bit inwardly flustered. "You can stop by anytime you want, though. To visit."

"I can't," Hiei attempted to explain without telling her anything. Why was she making this _so _much harder for him than it needed to be..?

"Oh...okay...well...," Kagome gave a small, wavering smile that made him feel worse. "The offer still stands, though. You'll always be welcome here..." Hiei fully turned back to her, crimson and azure meeting as she hoisted herself out of the hot water, the girl standing a mere foot or two away from him. "I'll miss you." Hiei couldn't stand it anymore... He closed the space that seperated them and put his arms around the girl, pulling her taut to his body. Her face barely reached his chest. What would this action hurt? It was the last time he would be able to touch her...why not allow himself _this_, at the _very _least?

"I will miss you, too, little one," Hiei whispered against her ear as her arms wrapped around him in turn. "But, as you say, I will always be around. Do not despair. Move on with your life."

"I will," Kagome answered him tearfully, her little face turning up to his. Her azure eyes were filled with tears as she smiled a real smile for him. "Thank you, Hiei."

"Hn," Hiei hummed and nodded in return, making her smile brighter as she let out a small laugh and nuzzled into his chest. Hiei nuzzled into her sweet-smelling hair, inhaling her scent closely one last time. After a long moment, she began to release him and he mimicked her motion, as reluctant as it was. They stood a pace apart. "Farewell, child."

"Kagome," She corrected.

"Farewell, Kagome," Hiei repeated, inclining his head to her.

"Goodbye, Hiei," Kagome mimicked him this time, the man giving a nod to her before he removed himself from her mind. He'd tightened the hold on her suppressed memories when he left, the man feeling a pang of despair as he opened his crimson eyes in her dark room.

"Hn...," he hummed softly, standing as he re-wrapped his closing Jagan eye with his white headband. Kagome wasn't fitfully asleep like she had been for the few months that her father had been dead. Now she cuddled into her pillow with a peaceful look on her face and a small smile in place, only two tears dripping down from her eyes. Hiei stepped up to the girl and gently wiped her tears away before heading to the window, grabbing the blanket that kept the cold wind from coming in. "Goodbye, Kagome." Raising the window, Hiei jumped out, easily sliding it back down and replacing the blanket so she didn't get a chill. After checking the immediate area for demons, Hiei headed back to Makai for a few days to blow off some steam and calm his unsteady, aching heart...

Hiei returned several days later to find Kagome as she used to be.

She was happy, carefree, jovial. It was as though her father's death had never affected her in the first place. He hid and watched her all day to make sure that it wasn't just a very convincing act. It wasn't, of course. And he also noticed something else...whenever she looked around, looking for _him_, Kagome smiled. Instead of whispering to herself of eyes watching her and acting paranoid, Hiei was met with cheerfulness and her relaxed form. He almost started when she began thinking of him, how she knew it was him that was watching over her. Of course...she knew this because he hadn't taken himself from her memories that night that he'd shown himself to her. He would have carefully suppressed her memories again, but...that would have been counterproductive. It would have meant taking back their talk and the reasons she got over her father's death...and she would collapse back into the dark state of mind she'd originally had. No, that was one memory he couldn't erase...as troublesome as it was.

Hiei scowled when she caught him, just that once, the man lost in thought. Her smile was so bright, her eyes practically twinkling with joy and mirth as she completely turned to face him. He hastily hid again as his cheeks warmed and an unusual feeling flittered about his stomach. Kagome seemed unfazed as she giggled in a girlish way and spun again on her heel, marching back into the shrine. That girl confused him sometimes... Shaking it off, he continued to follow her...and she didn't find him again, as hard as she tried to.

Hiei left that night, content with her condition. Every few days he would come back to check on her, just to make sure she was okay. After a half a year passed, Hiei limited his visits to once a week...and then to once every two weeks after a year had passed. Time trickled away, weeks, months, years. Hiei's visits narrowed down to once a month, the man somewhat glad that she had all but forgotten him by this point. She didn't tense up when he came around, as she once had, but she didn't smile, either. Kagome didn't think of him anymore. While he was happy about this fact- it was something he had wanted, wasn't it?- he also couldn't deny the cool sadness that accompanied the satisfaction. It was an odd issue that often had his stomach in knots...he preferred not to think of it at all.

Hiei sighed from his perch as he came to check on the girl-child he liked so much. Five years had passed...and he couldn't help but notice just how much she had grown. Kagome was now taller than he was, her unruly black hair kept to about her mid-back in length. Azure eyes sparkled- at least _they _hadn't changed- at her mother as she rushed out the door, a pack on her back as she readied to head off to school. Hiei blinked at the green and white apparel they called 'uniform'. While the top didn't hug her form, it definitely showed off some of her creamy white middrift when she raised her arms. Hiei couldn't stop himself from staring. Her curves were filling out, he also idly noted, the man swallowing as his throat began to dry. The top hinted at her chest, but it was too large to guess at how large it _really _was. And that skirt! It was so...short! Her mile-long legs were shown to the world, her upper thighs joining them when she bent over a bit.

_'She's grown up_...,' Hiei reminded himself, not accustomed to the quick aging of humans. They lived _much _shorter lives than demons... He didn't like thinking about that. He did, however, remember that she was within the age of mating. He had come by a time or two when she was in heat...the scent of blood and the irritable mood were the dead giveaways. Then, she hadn't seemed ready for that sort of thing...but now... Hiei licked his dry lips, trying to moisten them as he watched the girl down below. Her body was ready. It probably wasn't completely done filling out, but she was _definitely _ready. The thought made him squirm uncomfortably, not-so-innocent thoughts of the miko flitting about his mind. Thankfully, the boy-child came out and drew his attention. Hiei sighed, having watched the boy grow from baby to adolescent. He was a good child, if not a bit mischievious... Surprisingly, he was a bit more responsible than his older sister. He always helped her with tests and homework and such...but he also teased her relentlessly. Hiei couldn't keep the grin from his face as the boy taunted his sister and took off running. Kagome gave a cry, her face heated as her eyes gleamed with the fire that burned whenever she got angry. It was another thing Hiei liked about her that hadn't changed... Yelling a quick goodbye to their mother, Kagome took off after the boy-child, her teeth grit and skirt flying as she rushed away top speed. Head tilted to the side as a certain flimsy white fabric showed from beneath the skirt, Hiei decided that he liked it when Kagome angrily ran after her little brother...

Curious of who would win the spat, Hiei silently followed through the shadows and treetops, the man easily avoiding humans. He watched until they wound up at the school, Kagome just barely missing her brother as he dashed inside to safety. _'Fiesty onna_,' Hiei chuckled to himself as he watched her fume for a long moment. It didn't take long for her three friends to flank her sides and calm her down. Hiei frowned at the overly talkative nuisances. He didn't know why Kagome continued to be friends with those three...they were trouble. '_Hm...?' _Hiei blinked when a boy approached the group. The girls swooned over him, all but Kagome. And, ironically, it was Kagome that he approached. Azure eyes blinked as he attempted to woo her. Hiei growled to himself. _'Damn boy...don't interfere...she doesn't like you...she's __**mine**__...' _Hiei drew back, surprised by his own thoughts. _'Mine..? When did I decide that she was __**mine**__...?' _

Hiei was unable to come up with an answer and only glowered when Kagome accepted the boy's request to go out somewhere after school...with her friends and his friends, of course. Still, she was accepting. Hiei felt something inside of him ache. _Of course _she would accept...she didn't remember Hiei. She was a normal human girl that knew little to nothing- and she certainly didn't believe in what she _did _know- of demons. He couldn't keep the bitter taste from his mouth as he turned away and slid back into the streets of Tokyo. '_This is a problem...I can't think of her this way. She was never mine to have.' _Hiei's heart ached unbearably as he dodged into a darker, cooler allyway and slid into a sitting position. _'I wanted to rid her of her memories of demons and her power to protect her...I can't protect her if she knows about demons...myself included.' _He growled despairingly to himself. '_It's better this way. She will be happy with that...boy.' _Hiei couldn't help the snarl from ripping from his lips at that thought, his head hitting the brick wall behind him. _'She requires less maintenance than she did. The memories really don't need that much binding anymore; she's forgotten it on her own. I can leave her be for a while...maybe a couple of years or so. It will be enough for her to mate with the human male of her choice...she will live as a normal human woman...' _It was what he'd wanted for her from the start...so...why did it hurt _so much_...?

"Rrrrgggg," Hiei growled loudly as he gripped his white scarf with his left hand so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

"Am I interrupting something?" a velvety voice startled Hiei out of his thoughts, his crimson eyes popping open in surprise. He hadn't even sensed him...

"Of course not," Hiei sniffed. "Stupid humans is all."

"I see," the red-head smiled somewhat amusedly down at him. "You asked something of me five years ago and I declined..." Hiei narrowed his eyes at the taller humanesque boy standing before him in a pink school uniform. "But now I'd be willing to accept." Hiei blinked in surprise before his brow furrowed and apprehension set in.

"Why now? You weren't keen on the idea before...," Hiei spoke up, his grip tightening on the scarf as his other hand warily gripped the handle of his katana.

"I...my human mother is dying...," the humanoid Youko Kurama admitted, surprising Hiei somewhat. "One of the three treasures in the room you wish to infiltrate will save her life. I want the Forlorn Hope if I help you." Hiei weighed his options carefully. He'd honestly been about to abandon the idea completely, but...if Youko would help him...raiding Reikai would be a cinch. He could get that legendary sword and Youko could have the mirror. The soul-sucking ball was left...he didn't care so much for it. After debating it a moment, Hiei's hand slid away from his katana and he nodded.

"Alright, consider the mirror yours..._if _you help," Hiei promised, the fox avatar looking to be relieved.

"I will do all that I can," Youko Kurama inclined his head. Hiei stood to his feet. "May I see the blueprints of the castle? We will need to plan our route in and work out all of the details..." Hiei pulled out the maps that the lizard, Shiki, had made a good few years ago and he set them on the lid of a nearby dumpster. Plans were under way in no time with thoughts to re-check the perimeters and guard change-outs. They decided to include a Kyukonki when the burly man approached them. Neither liked him, but he liked the soul-stealing orb and he would make for a nice battering ram to get them into the gate they wanted to get through.

Plans set and minds made up, there was no going back.

Hiei only gave a passing glance to Kagome the night before they set out, the man re-sealing her memories for the last time for a couple of years. She would be fine. Kagome would move on in her life, select a mate, and settle down with him. Hiei didn't want to be around when that happened... So, with a heavy heart, Hiei set off that night with no intentions of returning until a couple of years had passed...

If only he had returned a few months later...

He would have known that she'd fallen down a well on her fifteenth birthday, unknowingly re-activated her reiki for self-preservation, and fallen into a world five hundred years in the past. While she never recovered her memories of him, she really didn't have time to. Between fighting evil and school work, Kagome stayed pretty busy. At least, for a couple of years...

**\- Chapter 2 - End -**

\- **Note **\- I didn't mean to confuse anyone. I know I said before that Hiei 'erased' Kagome's memories of him and all (in the previous chapter) but I meant 'suppressed'. He can't completely erase a host's memories without permanently damaging their minds. He wouldn't do that to Kagome. So...her memories are _suppressed _and they were trying to rush back to her when they were in the dreamscape, at the tree. He's going to have to seal them back every once in a while to keep Kagome from remembering them...and him.

\- For Her Sake...Hiei did it all to protect Kagome. Awww! XD Sweet, ne?

\- BELATED MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY HOLIDAYS, AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!

\- I hope you all enjoyed this! XD

\- Please review!


	3. Chapter 3

**Overprotective**

**Author: Reflection of a Broken Dream**

**Pairing: Kagome (Inuyasha) x Hiei (Yu Yu Hakusho)**

**A Quick Note**:

\- I'm not sure how much time spans for the entirety of Yu Yu Hakusho series, but for the sake of this fic, let's say almost three years.

\- Please forgive me for not getting this out sooner! ;,; I would have, but I had no internet access. (Library was shut down for a while.) v.v

\- Thank you to all of those who have reviewed! I love ya'll and I'll hopefully have more out soon!

\- MoonPrincess623 - Oooh...that'll be interesting! Haha! I imagine their meeting will be hellish- especially for Kagome.

\- JoWashington - Thank you! I'm working on it! ;,; Hehe, yes! I may have some other connections coming...

\- gcardozaqromero1 - Muchas gracias! I will continue soon! Yo habla piquino espanol. '.';

\- dragonlily22 - I'm attempting to! ;,;

\- Mistress of Darkness Katana - Haha XD Yes! He has...she's kinda weaker than usual here, but it will get better. She will surprise them with her strength soon. :P

\- erica - lol XD Thank ya, and sorry for the sporatic updates! I'm back on the ball! The next one should be interesting, haha. XP He still likes her- she's his addiction, haha. You're welcome! More coming! XD

\- SilverontheRose - Thank you much! XD Nope, I'm continuing it, I just need more time. Follow away! Next chapter due...soon.

\- Sweetly Staring - I'm not sure what I've answered, so I'm reviewing all my reviews. Thank you! I will change it, I didn't mean to confuse you! XS I meant ten years from where they are now. I'm sorry! ;,;

\- Thank you for taking the time to read this!

\- I hope ya'll enjoy it!

\- Please review!

**Disclaimer**:

Don't own it.

**Overprotective**

**\- Chapter 3 - Do I Know You?**

Kagome panted as she rounded a bend in her favorite park, her long raven hair tied in a high ponytail bouncing behind her. '_I'm eighteen today_,' she stated silently in her mind as she pulled her bow and quiver tighter to her shoulder. '_I can't believe it's been a whole year since the well closed up...the journey lasted two years...but it went by too fast...' _Kagome took a shuddering breath as she stumbled over a rock, but managed to keep her balance and keep running. Her red and white miko garb whirled about as she ran, the heavy material making things a little harder for her.

"And now I'm a little lost...," Kagome sighed as she looked up through the boughs of the trees, warm sunlight filtering down despite the cool air. "Got through school and all...but that didn't mean _anything_. Not after beating Naraku and saving the world..." She came to a slow stop in the middle of the heavily wooded area that sorely reminded her of the Feudal Era. "What purpose do I have now?" Everything felt a little empty and materialistic now that her journies were over. Her friends had survived, but she hadn't had long to share in the celebrations... '_I wished on the jewel away that night, at the feast in Edo...I wished that it couldn't be used for evil purposes anymore_,' Kagome silently added on as she caught her breath, her cheeks a light pink from her long jog. '_The jewel returned to my body and I was transported back to my time, and I've been unable to return since...'_ Sad azure orbs found the sky again. "Am I supposed to protect this thing forever? I can still feel it inside of me... Demons don't seem to live in this era, besides some sealed exceptions, so what's the point?" She stared intently at the sky, expecting the kami to reply. "_Come on_, now! I _deserve _an answer!" Still the sky remained as quiet and peaceful as ever, birds chirping cheerfully despite her gloomy mood. "Dammit..." Tears burned at her eyes for the umpteenth time as she returned her gaze to the well-worn trail before her. "Is it really too much to ask to get some answers? I lost almost everything when I was pulled back through the well...I could have been happy with everyone..." Tears swelled and fell from her despairing dark blue orbs as she continued her trek through the woods, Kagome wishing once again that she could be with the friends that had become her family and the hanyou that had become more...

"It's about time you showed up," Yusuke grinned as Hiei slowly strode towards the little band of three, his hands firmly planted in his pockets.

"Hn," Hiei inclined his head as Kuwabara grinned goofily at him and Kurama gave a welcoming smile.

"Ain't seen you in a while, shorty," Kuwabara greeted with his giddy grin. "How ya been?"

"Yes...it's been quite some time," Kurama agreed, his emerald eyes alight with joy. "Are you still working for Lord Mukuro?"

"Yes...and I will be for another year," Hiei answered as he stopped a few feet from the three, pointedly ignoring the idiot's question. If he wasn't well or if he was hurt he wouldn't be here now. It was a stupid question, but it was to be expected of the oaf to ask something like that...

"I bet yah got a sweet set-up with Mukuro," Yusuke remarked suggestively with a smirk inching across his face. "Seeing as she's a strong woman and all, eh? Eh?" He nudged Hiei playfully, the koorime flinching and glaring at him for that remark. "I bet you get a little extra 'encouragement' on the side, hunh?"

"Urameshi!" Kuwabara yelled, affronted. For once, Hiei shared in his offense of Yusuke's playful lewdness.

"The only thing extra I recieve from Lord Mukuro is training, detective," Hiei replied stiffly, using Yusuke's old title that no longer applied out of habit- the Spirit Detectives had been disbanded a while back, just after the Demon World Dark Tournament. "I am not that kind of person and I would appreciate it if you kept your insinuations to yourself." Hiei's eyes were as cold and hard as his voice as he glared at Yusuke. In truth, he didn't want to think about any sort of a relationship with any female. He was able to forget about her when he was working and when he kept himself busy...but...Hiei's mind had a tendency to drift towards Kagome at the worst of times...like now. So absorbed in his thoughts, Hiei didn't realize his expression had softened slightly as he'd looked away. Kurama's eyes flickered in surprise and Yusuke's expression contorted with the same emotion.

"You've got a girl you like that isn't Mukuro, don't ya?" Yusuke asked seriously, taking Hiei completely offguard.

"What? No," Hiei answered quickly- too quickly- and defensively.

"Seriously?" Kuwabara asked with wide owlish eyes as he turned back to a ruffled Hiei. "Must be a heck of a girl to have grabbed _your _attention...when do we get to meet 'er?"

"I don't...I don't have a female," Hiei responded, slightly flustered. "You don't get to meet her...because there isn't a female to meet." He was starting to sweat, the first half of his second sentence broken from the second in a very obvious way, the last part of it more tacked on than part of the statement. Hiei could tell that he'd really messed up by the cheshire grin that was spreading across Yusuke's face.

"You don't have to hide it, Hiei," Kurama spoke up before Yusuke got the chance to press him for more information. "We won't think badly of you for it or anything. We're merely happy that you've found someone." Pained crimson orbs locked in soothing emerald. Kurama always understood him the best...maybe he would understand _this_...

"_There is no female_," Hiei stressed, his voice almost hoarse as he silently lamented his loss once more. Giving Kagome up three years ago had been, hands down, one of the hardest things he had ever done. Even now he had to fight the urge to go and just see her face, her smile, just one more time... Kurama's eyes widened again before softening with pity and other emotions that Hiei didn't care to decifer as he turned away from the fox. Thankfully, before more could be said, a wave of energies arose from the surrounding wooded area of the park they had decided to meet at. Some of it was very obviously youki...but the other, the reiki...it was powerful...and very familiar to Hiei. But he couldn't _quite _place it...

"The hell?" Yusuke muttered, all four of them turning towards the direction the clashing energies were coming from, Hiei's issue- thankfully!- forgotten for the moment.

"Feels like a heck of a battle's goin' down," Kuwabara pointed out the obvious.

"Shall we go and see the situation for ourselves?" Kurama asked, glancing back at his old teammates.

"Yeah, might be someone who needs our help," Kuwabara answered immediately.

"Why not?" Yusuke smirked, cracking his knuckles and neck. "It's been a while since I've had a good fight, and it feels like the one with the reiki is strong as hell."

"You'll only get a piece of the action if you get there before I do," Hiei snorted, an odd anxiety itching inside of him. He wasn't sure why...but he felt like he needed to get to this fight and...well...he wasn't sure, but he needed to get there. Fast. Yusuke turned back to Hiei, mouth opened to respond, but Hiei just smirked, using his speed to his advantage.

"Dammit Hiei! _That's not fair!" _Yusuke yelled, his voice ringing through the trees as Hiei dashed in the direction of the clashing energies. Yusuke and Kurama were well on their way, but neither were as fast as Hiei. Said koorime gracefully slid through the forest until he reached a clearing where the fight was going down...and nothing could have prepared him for the sight that greeted him. In the middle of a ring of youkai was a miko-garb clad young woman with a familiar face. Taking in a deep breath, Hiei was easily able to discern her scent from the others- rain-kissed grass after a long storm, spiderlilies, a warm-sweet spice, a hint of bellflower, and a clean purity to the scent like the air of times long passed in Ningenkai. His eyes widened.

"Kagome!" he gasped aloud. Red filled his vision as he witnessed one of the demons cut her arm, the girl struggling to fight back as they ganged up on her. The sweet scent of her blood filled the air...and he couldn't take it. Hiei didn't think, he just acted. Drawing his blade and rushing around the battlefield, Hiei took out three demons before the four others noticed.

"The hell?!" one cried, a bear demon.

"GET HIM!" a lizard hissed, the lizard and bear headed for him. Hiei locked blades with the bear, the three facing off toe-to-toe in a three-way battle.

"Huuugh!" Kagome grunted, pushing another demon back as she hazarded a glance back at the demon that had just arrived. He was facing off with two of the other demons that had just been on top of her. The other five...wow...make that two...were still in her face. That black and white-clad demon had made quick work of three of them, and while she was grateful...she was also hoping that he wasn't out to kill her, too. Kagome wouldn't last two minutes against someone as fast as him... '_You know, when I asked for an answer earlier...this is __**not **__the way I wanted to get that answer!' _Kagome silently yelled at the kami as she refocused on her own battle, blood streaming down her left arm as well as various other places. Her bow string had been snapped earlier and hand-to-hand combat was _not _her specialty. Thankfully, she didn't have to continue to fend them off for very long.

"Comin' through!" Yusuke yelled as he barrelled into both demons attacking Kagome. She stumbled backwards with wide eyes as he took on the two at the same time, quickly beating them into bloody pulps.

"Well...," Kagome breathed out shakily, glad for the reprieve. Silently, she cursed herself up and down for not practicing with her reiki more, needed or not...she was rusty from the one year gap of disuse of her reiki and fights, and this had almost cost her her life. Adrenaline continued to pump through her veins, causing her to be hyper alert and uncomfortably jittery. She was no longer in condition to fight such a sudden sneak attack by hidden demons...in her time. That last thought made her giddy. Maybe not all were bad...maybe some of the demons from her past made it to this time...

"Are you alright, miss?" Kurama asked as he joined the area a bit late, Kagome jumping at the sound of his voice. Kuwabara would completely miss the action...

"I...uhh...yeah," Kagome managed to stammer out with a shaky breath, her right hand covering the wound on her left arm. '_He's a demon, too_,' she noted silently, the man seeming to be taking stock of her injuries and the uncontrollable trembling that the adrenaline had caused. "You're...not going to try and kill me?" Her question was hesitant, but she needed to know, her own eyes taking in the man's form. He was quite handsome...but so were many other demons and half-demons she'd met...and not all were kind.

"Not unless you give me a reason to," he answered, relieving her some but unnerving her just as much. If she did or said something he didn't like, would he kill her? A shiver ran down her spine. "Did they attack you?" He pointed at the demons, only one remaining in a brawl against the black and white clad demon that had saved her first.

"Yeah, out of nowhere," Kagome nodded, deciding that honesty would be best. Demons can smell deceit, she'd learned that from Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru, among others, and she _really _didn't want to put this one off. He was hiding his youki, making himself appear as a normal human or a weak demon to those who could sense his youki...but she could tell without batting a lash that he was anything but normal or weak. "Took me completely by surprise...it doesn't help that I'm not great at close-quarter combat. Damn lizard sliced my bow string..." She frowned at the arc of her bow that was lying on the ground a few feet away. Kurama was monitoring her oddly pleasing scent and he scented no lie in her words, the man nodding to her once he was assured of her honesty. As Kuwabara came jogging into the clearing and Yusuke was standing up, Hiei finished the last demon off and turned back towards Kagome, furious. He had done _so _much to protect her...and for _what?! _She just trapiesed right back into the world of demons, her forcefully made dormant powers resurfaced! Were all of these agonizing years spent away from her for _nothing?! _Hiei stormed over to Kagome as he flicked the blood off of his sword and sheithed it, the man only an inch or two taller than her now he idly noted, his eyes burning with fury.

"_What the hell do you think you think you were doing, woman?!" _Hiei snarled, Kagome's azure eyes widening as she jumped again and looked at the furious approaching demon male. "You could have gotten yourself killed!" Kurama, Kuwabara, and Yusuke all turned to look at Hiei, all three shocked into silence by his surprisingly angry outburst at the very human woman before them; the man stopped just in front of Kagome, his fists clenched at his sides and shaking in both fury and concern. He'd almost lost her..._again_.

"I-I was just trying to s-stay alive," Kagome managed to get out, confused and bewildered by this strange demon's anger towards her. Hiei frowned at her answer, seeming thoughtful and broody to her. She was still shaken by the surprise attack, her hands and knees trembling from the adrenaline rush. But why did it feel like she knew him? Like she should recognize him? Squinting, she was able to see his youki...it was split into two conflicting energies that surged around his form in mesmerizing angry patterns. Red and blue...fire and ice. That made sense. But she still couldn't place him, though- she certainly hadn't met him in the past. She would have remembered someone like him. Focusing on his face, pressing herself to find a memory of this familiar yet unfamiliar demon before her...Kagome's vision began to blur slightly and her head began to ache and pound. Then the words slipped out, unbidden, making Hiei stiffen rigidly. "Do I know you?"

**\- Chapter 3 - End -**

\- Haha, sorry to leave ya'll off at a cliffy, here, but I was trying to get out what I have of the stories. I want to finish them, I swear I do, I just need more time and internet access. xp The library was shut down for a long while there for rennovations, so I kinda stopped working for a while again. -,-;; I really need to get on things when I can. Sorry guys. v.v But I got this out, and I do intend to write more soon. Please don't give up on me.

\- I hope ya'll enjoyed this!

\- Please review!


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